“It is far better to be silent, than to increase the quantity of bad books"
- Volitaire
The Internet is an organized meeting grounds for all types of information for everyone to see. With such a large database and audience, the production of quality ideas and facts can not be regulated against the production of useless, and more often than not incorrect ones. For some, the Internet is part of a combination, and even the sometimes the sole provider of information in their life. This can be said for the younger generation where using technology has become second nature and widely encouraged. If these people are viewing and using this incorrect information, there is an abundance of ill-informed people going about their lives prone to making mistakes. Although the background history on each Star Wars character may be valuable material to some, the 15,000 plus word count as opposed to the 10,000 words used to describe World War Two on Wikipedia is a major conflict of interest when it comes to quantity versus quality on the Internet.
The most important question to ask when you seek something on the Internet is that, is this credible? You may be inclined to just say ,“yes, why would someone post false facts about Power Engineering job duties?” but it is not as simple as that. Even articles on the most world renown sites such as Encyclopedia Britannica that are used in schools to teach, average 2.92 mistakes which is second only to Wikipedia, the evil of all education sources. Just like you can not believe everything you see on TV, you can not believe everything you read on the web. Wikipedia is like a game of telephone, where someone posts information that justifies credibility to them, and another person may come along and change it, and then another, over and over until the article may become something completely different then what the original user had intended. This can also be said for other websites as it may sate that there is a source to the material on the page, but who is to say that source is reliable, or the source that the source used is as well. Wikipedia acts as a scapegoat when it comes to assessing information on the web, but the problem branches out further to all parts of the Internet.
People are beginning to realize just how insufficient a lot of the information on the web is, but they are mostly experts on specific subjects who come across inaccurate facts. What is to be said about the average person, who will decide for them what is right and what is wrong when searching the Internet. Whether it be the disappointed housewife who’s turkey came out dry because she used a missing step recipe, or a new investor who is out his grocery money because he got a bad tip on the stocks, quality of information effects everyone who uses the Internet and must be at the forefront of discussion when analyzing what is confidently reliable. More programs like the WikiProject Public Policy Initiative where students at universities write articles pertaining to important information need to be put in place in order to restore the reputation of a global community on the web. If ever in doubt, use the five W’s ; Who is the source of the information, what information are you getting, when was the site created, where was the site created, why am I at this site and finally how can I tell if this is reliable? Those questions in combination with common sense and just an overall awareness of what may or may not be true will significantly decrease the amount of false information you absorb.
Sources :
PowerPoint on Quality of Information
It's a Wiki, Wiki World
Improving Wikipedia's credibility
Friday, January 28, 2011
CyberBully Man
The term "bullying" often refers to schoolyard tough guys picking on smaller kids and humilating people to get attention. But, more recently the Internet, cell phones, and other technology has been used to threaten, humiliate, insult, or embarrass kids and adults alike, this is called "Cyber Bullying". This creates a whole new dimension of bullying, because anyone can be a bully, not just the bigger, stronger, “tough kids”. These new sources of technology enable bullying to happen virtually anytime, anywhere, and it can be done completely anonymous. Cyber bullying attacks kids emotionally and mentally, instead of physically as the traditional standard of bullying would have it. These feelings can lead to loss of concentration, low school achievement, and absentees from school. Cyber bullying is often used as an anonymous tool of revenge, that can sometimes lead to serious mental and emotional problems, sometimes even suicide.
There are many types of Cyber bullying, one of these types consists of sending nude or vulgar pictures by email or mobile device, this is often called "sexting", which can result in serious legal fines or even jail time. Sometimes these personal messages and photos are sent to friends of boy/girl friends, and when a relationship comes to an end, these pictures could be forwarded to friends and be posted on the internet as a way of revenge. Even if a nude or vulgar picture of a minor (someone under the age of 18) is on someones phone or email, they can be heavily fined and put in jail for child pornography.
Cyber bullying is becoming a serious problem in todays youth. The problem will never be fully solved, but it can be prevented and minimized to a certain extent with the right approach. The only way this can happen is if people start to realize the seriousness of cyberbullying.
The Internet, Blog # 3
The Internet can be utilized for many things, whether it be the young aspiring chef looking for a new recipe or a shady criminal buying excessive amounts of goods with stolen credit card numbers. Both positive and negative activities are being carried out on the Internet everyday by millions of people. Some use it to stay in touch with loved ones via Face book or E-mail, while others become removed from reality with programs like Second Life where they spend ample amount of time on the computer and not living life. The consistency of quality information on the Internet is also falling at a rapid rate since creating websites and sharing ideas and facts is open to almost anyone, credible or not. If your not checking the information you get from the Internet you could be viewing useless material conjured up by a fake professor. Criminals also use the Internet in many ways to ruin lives through identity theft and cyber-bullying. With so many negative aspects of the Internet, personally it's hard to find the positive ones but for me there are a few. Communication is a vast percentage of how I use the Internet on a daily basis, and I'm not sure how I would be able to reach the people that I do without it. Face book, MSN and E-mail all allow me to know what other people are going through or about to do in life and vice versa for my life to them. Google has also become a "go to" provider when I need help finding a certain piece of information, inspiration for completing school assignments and directing me to certain entertainment such as Youtube or game websites when I'm feeling bored. I have not experienced any of the negatives aspects of the Internet other than being on it way too much and often, but it does make me cautious of how I use the Internet and what I may do if I was ever in a vile situation. When it comes to the future of the Internet, I'll save you the burden of reading my Tron-like theory of how the Internet will become an alternate reality where you can do and see the things you do now but in person, by simply focusing on what will be posted on the Internet. In the next 40 years, I see the quality of true and important information like news to become an even smaller portion of the things posted on the Internet. Things like porn, forums for which Pokemon is best and new diet methods will overflow on search engines. I do not see much change in the layout of how the Internet is used today, but I am eager to see how communication will change. Technology is already advanced as it is, I can only imagine what will be discovered 40 years down the road.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Blog #4,
Since the Internet has been around there has been cyber bullying. This form of bullying is even more cowardly than normal bullying because, anyone can do it without the victim knowing who it is. Eliminating the face to face encounter that has to do with bullying, has made it easier for all people to participate in this cruel act. Face to face bullying or cyber bullying?, which of the two is more devastating? Cyber bullying in many ways is more devastating in both controlling and what the victims do to themselves. Most people when they hear the words "cyber bullying" think of a time they heard a story about it or remember when they either were victim or the bully. No kid no matter what they have done, deserve to be bullied whether face to face or over the Internet. There are many stories and cases of bullying that sadly end in suicide, or attempted suicide. All this could be prevent if only people around the world would just take a minute to think, "what if I was the person I am doing this to?"
A far too popular case that most people think of when cyber bullying is mentioned, is "The Megan Meier case". This worldwide story tragically is one of the many cases of bullying that drives the victim to take their own life. Bullying should not grow to an extent like this where, the victim thinks the only way to escape the pain is death. In this case it started as a so called "prank" and to find out if Megan Meier was gossiping about her neighbors daughter. Lori Drew, and Ashley Grills both adults created an account to talk with and find out if Megan was talking about Lori's daughter, this soon harmless prank to them would turn quick, into a severe case of bullying. Both Lori, and Ashley participated in sending message's to Megan, starting off seemingly harmless but then turning bad. Trying to end the whole scheme Lori and Ashley sent the next sentence to Megan Meier, which pushed her over the edge and causing her to commit suicide, "Our world would be a better place without you". Twenty minutes after sending this message Megan Meier was pronounced dead at only age thirteen. It is truly hard to think that anyone would stoup to doing this to a person who has done nothing wrong.
Bullying should never happen no matter the reasoning behind it. If you have ever been bullied or bullied someone you know the emotional, personal, and psycological effects that happen to the victim. The Internet has many great things on it, but with cyber bullying still out there it is effecting millions, and millions of children around the world. Cyber bullying causes many kids to take their own life each year because they have no other way to escape it. Cyber bullying can only be stopped one way and that is for the Internet to be no longer there, but in all likeliness when will that happen? Cyber bullying will be a virus that comes hand in hand with the Internet no matter what, but its up to everyone around the world to help decrease the amount of cyber bullying that goes on.
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Megan_Meier
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD9OUas5pDs
http://cyberbullying.us/blog/megan-meier-federal-cyberbullying-case-decided-today.html
A far too popular case that most people think of when cyber bullying is mentioned, is "The Megan Meier case". This worldwide story tragically is one of the many cases of bullying that drives the victim to take their own life. Bullying should not grow to an extent like this where, the victim thinks the only way to escape the pain is death. In this case it started as a so called "prank" and to find out if Megan Meier was gossiping about her neighbors daughter. Lori Drew, and Ashley Grills both adults created an account to talk with and find out if Megan was talking about Lori's daughter, this soon harmless prank to them would turn quick, into a severe case of bullying. Both Lori, and Ashley participated in sending message's to Megan, starting off seemingly harmless but then turning bad. Trying to end the whole scheme Lori and Ashley sent the next sentence to Megan Meier, which pushed her over the edge and causing her to commit suicide, "Our world would be a better place without you". Twenty minutes after sending this message Megan Meier was pronounced dead at only age thirteen. It is truly hard to think that anyone would stoup to doing this to a person who has done nothing wrong.
Bullying should never happen no matter the reasoning behind it. If you have ever been bullied or bullied someone you know the emotional, personal, and psycological effects that happen to the victim. The Internet has many great things on it, but with cyber bullying still out there it is effecting millions, and millions of children around the world. Cyber bullying causes many kids to take their own life each year because they have no other way to escape it. Cyber bullying can only be stopped one way and that is for the Internet to be no longer there, but in all likeliness when will that happen? Cyber bullying will be a virus that comes hand in hand with the Internet no matter what, but its up to everyone around the world to help decrease the amount of cyber bullying that goes on.
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Megan_Meier
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD9OUas5pDs
http://cyberbullying.us/blog/megan-meier-federal-cyberbullying-case-decided-today.html
Cyber Bullying
Everyday cyber bulling is going on every day unreported and undetectable. Cyber bullying has slowly becoming a pandemic to teenagers. We may never be able to completely stop cyber bullying, but we can only be there for the victims they strike. Since technology has advanced so fast, some people haven’t found anything better to do but to make themselves feel better and make other feel insecure. There are too many cases of cyber bullying that go unheard. Understanding the consequences that cyber bullying is something that the bullies will never understand until they push their victim to the limit leading them to suicide.
A perfect example of cyber bullying being pushed over the limit is the Megan Meier Case. Megan Meier was a 13 year old girl who has had troubles with bullies her whole life. Since the third grade she had suffered from ADD, and severe depression. Megan had opened up a Myspace account. She met what she thought was an attractive boy named Josh. Josh was actually the mother of an ex friend named Lori Drew. Despite Megan knowing about the mystery behind Josh, she got really attached to Josh. One day Josh had sent Megan a message reading “I don't know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I've heard that you are not very nice to your friends". While Megan responded Josh pushed her over the limit saying "Everybody in O'Fallon knows who you are. You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a bad rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you." Megan replied with a message saying "You’re the kind of boy a girl would kill herself over”. 20 minutes after the conflict Megan attempted to hang herself. She was pronounced dead the next day.
It’s truly cold hearted to think someone would be able to hurt such an innocent person so horribly. Throughout the existence of the internet, the worst thing that has come out of it was the suicides that it has caused due to cyber bullying. Students know that once they get home the bullying should stop and they’ll be safe. Although kids should feel a sense of security at home, they aren’t. The bullies are following their victims home and on bullying them through the internet. The only thing we can do to stop the chain of cyber bullying is to spread the word. I truly learned the horrible effects cyber bullying can do on a person.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Megan_Meier
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MxxqcH_Mkc
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3882520&page=1
Everyday cyber bulling is going on every day unreported and undetectable. Cyber bullying has slowly becoming a pandemic to teenagers. We may never be able to completely stop cyber bullying, but we can only be there for the victims they strike. Since technology has advanced so fast, some people haven’t found anything better to do but to make themselves feel better and make other feel insecure. There are too many cases of cyber bullying that go unheard. Understanding the consequences that cyber bullying is something that the bullies will never understand until they push their victim to the limit leading them to suicide.
A perfect example of cyber bullying being pushed over the limit is the Megan Meier Case. Megan Meier was a 13 year old girl who has had troubles with bullies her whole life. Since the third grade she had suffered from ADD, and severe depression. Megan had opened up a Myspace account. She met what she thought was an attractive boy named Josh. Josh was actually the mother of an ex friend named Lori Drew. Despite Megan knowing about the mystery behind Josh, she got really attached to Josh. One day Josh had sent Megan a message reading “I don't know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I've heard that you are not very nice to your friends". While Megan responded Josh pushed her over the limit saying "Everybody in O'Fallon knows who you are. You are a bad person and everybody hates you. Have a bad rest of your life. The world would be a better place without you." Megan replied with a message saying "You’re the kind of boy a girl would kill herself over”. 20 minutes after the conflict Megan attempted to hang herself. She was pronounced dead the next day.
It’s truly cold hearted to think someone would be able to hurt such an innocent person so horribly. Throughout the existence of the internet, the worst thing that has come out of it was the suicides that it has caused due to cyber bullying. Students know that once they get home the bullying should stop and they’ll be safe. Although kids should feel a sense of security at home, they aren’t. The bullies are following their victims home and on bullying them through the internet. The only thing we can do to stop the chain of cyber bullying is to spread the word. I truly learned the horrible effects cyber bullying can do on a person.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Megan_Meier
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MxxqcH_Mkc
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3882520&page=1
Sunday, January 23, 2011
VALS Survey and the 15 Appeals
The survey tells me that I am an Experiencer and secondly an Innovator. For the most part I do agree with the surveys results because I do enjoy having high end products and I do seek variety in life. My interests and hobbies are all types of sports and exercise related activities and I would like to believe that I can take on a leadership role while displaying a positive and intriguing personality. I however disagree with the fact that I put an "emphasis" on looking good or having cool things because there is a clear difference between enjoying having nice things and needing them.
An Experiencer is a young, self-motivated consumer who buys on impulse, searching for new and exciting things. They spend a lot of money and they spend it frequently. This survey is also very conflicting in the sense that it says I buy things to show off my vanity but at the same time do not buy them to show off power or status but as an expression of taste and independence. I don't see how I can do both.
There are a few appeals that stand out in relation to my results and they are as follows:
The need for affiliation
The need to achieve
The need to dominate
and the need for attention.
At first glance they seem to point to the conclusion that I have the need to be a jerk or arrogant human being but I suppose in order to be an individual in this world you have to say and do things not everyone will support. I think the ads that appeal to me most are ones that are satirical, clever and also ones that promote a positive message. Provocative and violent ads are for the narrow minded in my eye, and I do not consider myself part of that demographic.
An Experiencer is a young, self-motivated consumer who buys on impulse, searching for new and exciting things. They spend a lot of money and they spend it frequently. This survey is also very conflicting in the sense that it says I buy things to show off my vanity but at the same time do not buy them to show off power or status but as an expression of taste and independence. I don't see how I can do both.
There are a few appeals that stand out in relation to my results and they are as follows:
The need for affiliation
The need to achieve
The need to dominate
and the need for attention.
At first glance they seem to point to the conclusion that I have the need to be a jerk or arrogant human being but I suppose in order to be an individual in this world you have to say and do things not everyone will support. I think the ads that appeal to me most are ones that are satirical, clever and also ones that promote a positive message. Provocative and violent ads are for the narrow minded in my eye, and I do not consider myself part of that demographic.
Analysing Ads for the AIDA Effect # 2
The reason I choose this Ad is not only because it is very powerful and shocking as some would say, but it also has a lot of meaning personally to me. Me and a close friend were on the topic of driving and how fatal it can be if someone were to make even the slightest wrong decision while doing it. I showed her this ad and not even twenty minutes later she got a phone call telling her that two of her friends had died in a car accident. I couldn't believe it, and still to this day have a hard time coping with the coincidence of that event. What I've said doesn't appeal to the objective of this assignment but I thought it would help put a face to the accident depicted in this advert and just how serious reckless driving can be. The audience for this commercial is basically anyone who has ever interacted with a vehicle and also victims of car accidents. It starts off with two teenagers showing affection in a calm environment until a car unleashes chaos and death upon innocent bystanders. The music, change in color from vibrant to dark, and constant images of death and depressing situations all show just how extensive the damage was from one wrong turn. The only thing I disagree with in this ad, and it may just be me over analysing, but when they refer to the accident as a "mess" in the slogan, "the faster you go, the bigger the mess" it just doesn't sit right with me. Calling multiple people's deaths a mess seems like a demeaning way to describe such a tragedy. The call to action is to obey speed limits and just drive cautiously all the time, because you never know just how bad an accident can be.
Blog Post three, INTERNET
1) The positive and negative aspects of the Internet?
Since the Internet has been out there has always been the topic of "Is the Internet good or bad?". The Internet has a lot of positive aspects, including you can find whatever you need to know/want to know, you can keep in touch with people for free, and the big one hours of entertainment for all ages. There are also a lot of negative parts about the Internet, cyberbullying, not all info on the web is the truth, people's reputation can be slandered and ruined forever. Good or bad the Internet is here to stay for years and years to come, it all depends on how you look are it.
2) How the Internet has affected your life Personally?
The Internet personally has effected my life greatly, whenever I have to find something out for school work or find anything out on anything, I have this great invention at my disposal. Other than helping me with knowledge it has helped me to keep in touch with old friends from other towns and family since I have moved. The Internet has affected my life personally in almost all positive ways and few to none negative ways.
3) Where you see the Internet in 10 years, 20 years, 40 years?
I see the Internet in 10 years to be the same as it is today, along with 20 years and 40 years from now. The only thing I see changing is how much information is on the Internet, whatever is already on there will never disappear and whatever will be added will stay there till there is no Internet. The Internet will remain the same until it no longer exists.
Since the Internet has been out there has always been the topic of "Is the Internet good or bad?". The Internet has a lot of positive aspects, including you can find whatever you need to know/want to know, you can keep in touch with people for free, and the big one hours of entertainment for all ages. There are also a lot of negative parts about the Internet, cyberbullying, not all info on the web is the truth, people's reputation can be slandered and ruined forever. Good or bad the Internet is here to stay for years and years to come, it all depends on how you look are it.
2) How the Internet has affected your life Personally?
The Internet personally has effected my life greatly, whenever I have to find something out for school work or find anything out on anything, I have this great invention at my disposal. Other than helping me with knowledge it has helped me to keep in touch with old friends from other towns and family since I have moved. The Internet has affected my life personally in almost all positive ways and few to none negative ways.
3) Where you see the Internet in 10 years, 20 years, 40 years?
I see the Internet in 10 years to be the same as it is today, along with 20 years and 40 years from now. The only thing I see changing is how much information is on the Internet, whatever is already on there will never disappear and whatever will be added will stay there till there is no Internet. The Internet will remain the same until it no longer exists.
VALS SURVEY, Blog #2
1) The VAL types I got are Maker/Experiencer. I agree with these to a certain extent but not completely. The reason I only somewhat agree with these VALS types is that part of each VAL type I believe describes me while the other part is completely wrong.
2)What Does Your VAL Type Suggest About:
A) Spending Habits: Maker suggests that I only buy the essential things I need to live and do some comfortably, while Experiencer suggests that I spend a high portion of my income on fashion, comfort, and socializing. Which are completely opposites.
B) Types of Products you consume/buy?: Experiencer suggests I buy the so called "cool" stuff rather then the "basic" items, Maker suggests I consume/buy "basic" products.\
C)Age group/demographic: Maker suggest I am older, and don't really care about anything outside what concerns myself, while Experiencer says that I want all the "new/cool" items.
3) My VAL type's according to the 15 basic appeals of advertising I am most likely drawn towards ads that appeal to the Need to achieve.
2)What Does Your VAL Type Suggest About:
A) Spending Habits: Maker suggests that I only buy the essential things I need to live and do some comfortably, while Experiencer suggests that I spend a high portion of my income on fashion, comfort, and socializing. Which are completely opposites.
B) Types of Products you consume/buy?: Experiencer suggests I buy the so called "cool" stuff rather then the "basic" items, Maker suggests I consume/buy "basic" products.\
C)Age group/demographic: Maker suggest I am older, and don't really care about anything outside what concerns myself, while Experiencer says that I want all the "new/cool" items.
3) My VAL type's according to the 15 basic appeals of advertising I am most likely drawn towards ads that appeal to the Need to achieve.
Blog Post One.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsZFsZw5jtU , Commercial #1.
1) Audience: this commercial is aimed towards all age groups old, young, or middle aged, as long as they want to eat healthy rather than eat fast food.
2) AIDA effect.
Attention: This grabs the viewers attention by starting off with dramatic music that normally leads to a climax, which is the peoples buttons flying off.
Interest: This add grabs the person interest because they don't know what the commercial is about or promoting, so it attracts them to watch and find out.
Desire: Creating desire or want for the product in the commercial is easy by showing a delicious looking sub that anyone would want to have.
Action: This Add really doesn't create a call to action, other than if you are hungry it will make u want there new Sub.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMQmnp6GTJ8 AD #2
1) Audience: The audience this ad is aiming for is everyone and anyone who likes to play games, at any age. This is present in the commercial because there are both old, and young people playing with kinect.
2) AIDA effect.
Attention: It first grabs your attention by mentioning a worldwide know gaming system "Xbox" , then showing people dancing, making you wonder how this connects to Xbox.
Interest: It shows all demographic playing and having fun playing the game with friends, and makes you want to have that feeling.
Desire: By showing everyone, all ages playing the game and having fun it creates people with the want to have this game to experience what the people are in the commercial.
Action: This As makes you want to buy what is being promoted in the commercial, by showing everyone who is playing it having a great time.
1) Audience: this commercial is aimed towards all age groups old, young, or middle aged, as long as they want to eat healthy rather than eat fast food.
2) AIDA effect.
Attention: This grabs the viewers attention by starting off with dramatic music that normally leads to a climax, which is the peoples buttons flying off.
Interest: This add grabs the person interest because they don't know what the commercial is about or promoting, so it attracts them to watch and find out.
Desire: Creating desire or want for the product in the commercial is easy by showing a delicious looking sub that anyone would want to have.
Action: This Add really doesn't create a call to action, other than if you are hungry it will make u want there new Sub.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMQmnp6GTJ8 AD #2
1) Audience: The audience this ad is aiming for is everyone and anyone who likes to play games, at any age. This is present in the commercial because there are both old, and young people playing with kinect.
2) AIDA effect.
Attention: It first grabs your attention by mentioning a worldwide know gaming system "Xbox" , then showing people dancing, making you wonder how this connects to Xbox.
Interest: It shows all demographic playing and having fun playing the game with friends, and makes you want to have that feeling.
Desire: By showing everyone, all ages playing the game and having fun it creates people with the want to have this game to experience what the people are in the commercial.
Action: This As makes you want to buy what is being promoted in the commercial, by showing everyone who is playing it having a great time.
Analysing Ads for the AIDA Effect # 1
This advertisement stands out vividly which is why it was a prime choice to analyze it. My first impression of it is that even though I may not have known what it was about at first, it got my attention because of the twisted image, which is what all good ads should do. Reading further you learn that it is about diabetes and that makes the connection between the unhealthy ice cream and the well being of your heart very clear. The audience is basically anyone that cares about their health or have already been diagnosed with diabetes or know someone who has been. The effect of the ad is telling you that if you eat things with very little nutritional value such as ice cream, it can worsen and even begin the side effects of diabetes on your body. For me, who's father has been diagnosed with diabetes, this ad creates a desire to not only prevent myself from fallen victim to the disease, but also to see that my father gets better as well. The slogan "Don't treat diabetes to your heart" in combination with the image of a frozen treat morphed with a human heart provides a very clever way to get this message of health concern across.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Vivian's Final Blog
Second Life, a virtual world developed by Linden Labs, was launched in June of 2003 and has since been rapidly expanding. It has surpassed any expectations that Philip Rosedale, creator of Second Life and chairman of Linden Labs, ever imagined. Members who sign up for Second Life create avatars that can take on the form of a human, animal, vegetable, mineral, or a combination. These avatars have the ability to love, learn, work, travel, and socialize; identical to humans in reality.
From a young age, we are told to love who we are despite what others believe and not to change. Then why is it that once we’re old enough to make our own decisions, some decide to do just the opposite and create a Second Life online? I believe that any opportunities available in Second Life are also available in real life and one should not have to go online to achieve their goals. In 2006, it was announced that Second Life’s population was at 518, 524 residents and growing by 36% a month. It seems as though users of Second Life are unhappy with a certain aspect of their real life; whether it is status, occupation, love, relationships, or location, they seek an easy escape from their unfavourable situation. In January of 2007, the population of second life was at an astonishing 769, 000 residents, and on average they spent a total of 28, 274, 505 hours ‘in world’ throughout the year. That’s 28, 274, 505 hours that could have been spent in the real world improving their circumstances. From an outsider’s point of view, such as my own, I consider Second Life to be an excessive component to ones real life.
If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.” ~Mary Engelbreit
In terms of the medium being the message, without the internet, Second Life would not exist and people would not have the option of escaping their problems in a virtual world. However, there still exists Role Play clubs around the world where people gather to act out various scenes developed by their imaginations and take on an alternate personality. The internet merely allows the idea of having a ‘second life’ convenient. The existence of the virtual world Second Life promotes the idea of a global village by connecting people from all over the world and providing an account to anyone over the age of sixteen.
Most residents of second life log on to socialize with other avatars and generate an income in some way. Second life has its very own currency, the Linden Dollar, which has the exchange rate of L$309 for every US$1. There is a transaction volume of nearly L$ 2 billion a month! Linden Dollars can be spent on anything from homes to clothing however; to me it’s ironic that a game with the slogan ‘often the best things in life are free’ charges for items available in the game and for premium accounts. Another expression commonly used to promote the game is ‘a place to be different-be yourself, free yourself, free your mind, love your life.’ To me, it is unrealistic to have to create an alternate ‘you’ to be happy. Some will argue that their real lives simply cannot be changed. But “when we are no longer able to change the situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~ Victor Frankl.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life
http://secondlife.com/
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.10/slfacts.html
From a young age, we are told to love who we are despite what others believe and not to change. Then why is it that once we’re old enough to make our own decisions, some decide to do just the opposite and create a Second Life online? I believe that any opportunities available in Second Life are also available in real life and one should not have to go online to achieve their goals. In 2006, it was announced that Second Life’s population was at 518, 524 residents and growing by 36% a month. It seems as though users of Second Life are unhappy with a certain aspect of their real life; whether it is status, occupation, love, relationships, or location, they seek an easy escape from their unfavourable situation. In January of 2007, the population of second life was at an astonishing 769, 000 residents, and on average they spent a total of 28, 274, 505 hours ‘in world’ throughout the year. That’s 28, 274, 505 hours that could have been spent in the real world improving their circumstances. From an outsider’s point of view, such as my own, I consider Second Life to be an excessive component to ones real life.
If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.” ~Mary Engelbreit
In terms of the medium being the message, without the internet, Second Life would not exist and people would not have the option of escaping their problems in a virtual world. However, there still exists Role Play clubs around the world where people gather to act out various scenes developed by their imaginations and take on an alternate personality. The internet merely allows the idea of having a ‘second life’ convenient. The existence of the virtual world Second Life promotes the idea of a global village by connecting people from all over the world and providing an account to anyone over the age of sixteen.
Most residents of second life log on to socialize with other avatars and generate an income in some way. Second life has its very own currency, the Linden Dollar, which has the exchange rate of L$309 for every US$1. There is a transaction volume of nearly L$ 2 billion a month! Linden Dollars can be spent on anything from homes to clothing however; to me it’s ironic that a game with the slogan ‘often the best things in life are free’ charges for items available in the game and for premium accounts. Another expression commonly used to promote the game is ‘a place to be different-be yourself, free yourself, free your mind, love your life.’ To me, it is unrealistic to have to create an alternate ‘you’ to be happy. Some will argue that their real lives simply cannot be changed. But “when we are no longer able to change the situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~ Victor Frankl.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life
http://secondlife.com/
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.10/slfacts.html
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
censorship ..casey
Article 19
January 3, 2011 Casey Toews
Article 19. “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”
United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
This article from the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets forth that Everyone has the right to express their opinions through any media and regardless of the barriers set forth. This to me means that under the human rights I am able to express any opinion and state anything regardless of its origin or validity. Meaning that I can put forth my opinion in any form; be it written, verbal, or imagery.
When a county such as China Imposes the policy of Censorship they are violating basic human rights. Some countries use the excuse of national security (war on terrorism) to null the human rights; yet I wonder why the UN allows Rights to be violated and perverted in such an obvious way. When does this become to much? When does the United Nations bring down the hammer and stop the vicious act? I do not believe that these countries are under such a threat as to deny the rights given out by the United Nations.
Information is not meant to be stopped. It is the connection of the world, and these countries wish to isolate their ideas, and ideals from the rest of the world. They would have their people sit in the dark carrying out menial tasks for the good of their nation. Yet again this action breaches the Declaration of Human Rights Article 19 in not allowing the people to receive the information and having the county in a perpetual state of unknowing. North Korea dominates the people by using the peoples ignorance to their advantage and keeping not only their people in the dark, but the outside world is also pushed back never really knowing what is going on inside the boarders of North Korea.
Censorship is trapping the minds of people behind a wall of ignorance, and it is not right in a moral standing. To implement censorship stunts the capacity to advance in this world, and cannot be the solution a government turns to.
Biblyography:
GOOD Magazine. "Internet Censorship." [Online] Available
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPAvg6CU6sI October 21, 2008.
United Nations. "The United Nations Declaration of Rights." [Online] Available
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
January 3, 2011 Casey Toews
Article 19. “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”
United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
This article from the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets forth that Everyone has the right to express their opinions through any media and regardless of the barriers set forth. This to me means that under the human rights I am able to express any opinion and state anything regardless of its origin or validity. Meaning that I can put forth my opinion in any form; be it written, verbal, or imagery.
When a county such as China Imposes the policy of Censorship they are violating basic human rights. Some countries use the excuse of national security (war on terrorism) to null the human rights; yet I wonder why the UN allows Rights to be violated and perverted in such an obvious way. When does this become to much? When does the United Nations bring down the hammer and stop the vicious act? I do not believe that these countries are under such a threat as to deny the rights given out by the United Nations.
Information is not meant to be stopped. It is the connection of the world, and these countries wish to isolate their ideas, and ideals from the rest of the world. They would have their people sit in the dark carrying out menial tasks for the good of their nation. Yet again this action breaches the Declaration of Human Rights Article 19 in not allowing the people to receive the information and having the county in a perpetual state of unknowing. North Korea dominates the people by using the peoples ignorance to their advantage and keeping not only their people in the dark, but the outside world is also pushed back never really knowing what is going on inside the boarders of North Korea.
Censorship is trapping the minds of people behind a wall of ignorance, and it is not right in a moral standing. To implement censorship stunts the capacity to advance in this world, and cannot be the solution a government turns to.
Biblyography:
GOOD Magazine. "Internet Censorship." [Online] Available
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPAvg6CU6sI October 21, 2008.
United Nations. "The United Nations Declaration of Rights." [Online] Available
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
If used in the wrong ways it can be deadly
``The Internet``
Using the Internet, mobile devices, or any other digital technology to torment, threaten, harass, humiliate, or embarrass another person is called Cyber bullying. Many people seem to over look cyber bullying as being a minor thing however it can be extremely dangerous. The Internet is mainly used in a positive way however today’s youth have turned it into a powerful weapon. Now it’s not only the “tough kids” that are the bullies it can be the shy, quiet kid acting out aggressively having the safety of being hidden behind their computer screens. The Internet also allows the bullies to reach their victims anytime, anywhere all at the same time staying completely anonymous. Cyber bullying can also affect kid`s moods and attitudes. It can make them feel angry, sad, hurt, embarrassed and even afraid. These feelings can lead to behavioural problems such as loss of concentration, low school achievement, and absentees from school. Cyber bullying may also cause anxiety, low self esteem, withdrawal from school, lack of sleep, loss of appetite, and in extreme cases suicide.
Over time cyber bullying can turn into “cyber stalking” or “cyber harassment” which is a crime that has legal consequences and can even result in jail time. This can involve people hacking into your computer, stealing or guessing your passwords, locking you out of sites and even out of your entire computer. More serious cases people can put out blogs or texts in your name costing you lots of money in fines. Sexting can also expose kids to cyber bullying. Even if the personal messages and photos are sent to friends of boy/girl friends the information can be very damaging if the relationships sour or the photos get leaked out. People can also create false accounts and pretend to be your friend to acquire personal information to spread around. This can result in negative ways for example “The Megan Meier case”
Megan Meier committed suicide on November 6 1992 due to cyber bullying. Megan had befriended a 16 year old boy named “Josh Evans” on her my space account. The account was a fake and was created to slander Megan. The account was created by one of Meier’s friend’s mom “Lori Drew”. She had done it because she had heard Megan spread rumours about her daughter so to get back at Megan this was her idea to create an online account to harass Megan and make her feel bad. However Lori had no idea Megan had been battling depression for three years and this finally drove her to take her own life. Phoebe Prince was also a victim of cyber bullying who took her own life after months of online bullying. She was 15 years old. Tyler Clementi jumped off a bridge and died when he found out his roommate was posting private images online.
The Internet, The Bad and a bit good
In the Internets 20 years in existence it has became a center of commerce, culture, and communication, a medium through which we stay connected with friends and the entire world. However, the anonymous environment of cyberspace has become a haven for many types of online criminals. The criminalization of the Internet has arisen in many distinct forms, including cyber bullying, identity theft and fraud.
Cyber bullying is a widely debated topic, controversial because of the pain and suffering it can anonymously insert and also the trend that it is almost purely mental abuse. There are many ways people can cyber bully, people can post compromising media: such as pictures, videos or audio clips that can spread like wildfire through the lightning quick ways of the Internet. So even though the saying goes, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” words are still very tormenting and the cause of great pain to many. There have been many suicides and murders linked to the internet, people have gotten tired of being cyber bullied and taken it to people face to face which has led to shootings and assaults. People feel more powerful when they are hidden behind the safety of the Internet, they do and say things that they would never think about doing non-anonymously.
Before the Internet, identity theft was a lot harder for people to do. There are various levels of identity theft. It ranges from people making fake accounts pretending to be someone they are not to people stealing every piece of private information they can get, and than using that to either threaten for ransom, or use it to gain access to more information like bank accounts and other personal web effects. Identity theft has left many people feeling very hopeless, it’s hard to argue that someone is not you when they have your social security number, your address and all your other personal information. Much like banks are a large cache of money and valuables, the Internet is a large cache of personal information ready for the taking. Many people who are not aware of the possibilities of the Internet and who are unaware of the danger it possesses end up getting their identity or valuable information stolen. Due to the ease of online banking and other accounts that can be set up for monetary transactions, many people use the internet to make account transfers and buy all types of things from websites like EBay or Amazon along with most big companies have website selling their products.
There are many types of fraud, but Internet fraud is by far the easiest and most efficient way. Again the anonymity of the Internet is a large factor along with the ability to reach masses of people with only a few clicks of a mouse. Fraud can be preformed in many various methods, people can have fake websites selling you items, but once you make your purchase all your information could have been stolen. People can also be tricked and not even know they have been had by fraud, there have been cases where access to peoples accounts have been gained and the clever criminals just siphon small increments of money out at a time so that the victims are unbeknownst as to what is happening, this act of fraud could be compared to slow and steady wins the race, rather than taking one large sum that’s very noticeable they slowly grow their fortune.
Cyber bullying, identity theft, and fraud are all cons of the Internet. Based on what has been written the Internet may be conceived as the worst thing to have hit the world ever, but along with all the bad the Internet has, it contains a lot of good and useful ways to do almost anything. Information on nearly anything is at your fingertips, connecting with people just about anywhere is easy, banking can be done whenever wherever, the aforementioned things and many others are the pros of the Internet. In closing the Internet can do great harm or be very helpful, so depending on how it is used it can be the greatest tool you have or the most dangerous.
Cyber bullying is a widely debated topic, controversial because of the pain and suffering it can anonymously insert and also the trend that it is almost purely mental abuse. There are many ways people can cyber bully, people can post compromising media: such as pictures, videos or audio clips that can spread like wildfire through the lightning quick ways of the Internet. So even though the saying goes, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” words are still very tormenting and the cause of great pain to many. There have been many suicides and murders linked to the internet, people have gotten tired of being cyber bullied and taken it to people face to face which has led to shootings and assaults. People feel more powerful when they are hidden behind the safety of the Internet, they do and say things that they would never think about doing non-anonymously.
Before the Internet, identity theft was a lot harder for people to do. There are various levels of identity theft. It ranges from people making fake accounts pretending to be someone they are not to people stealing every piece of private information they can get, and than using that to either threaten for ransom, or use it to gain access to more information like bank accounts and other personal web effects. Identity theft has left many people feeling very hopeless, it’s hard to argue that someone is not you when they have your social security number, your address and all your other personal information. Much like banks are a large cache of money and valuables, the Internet is a large cache of personal information ready for the taking. Many people who are not aware of the possibilities of the Internet and who are unaware of the danger it possesses end up getting their identity or valuable information stolen. Due to the ease of online banking and other accounts that can be set up for monetary transactions, many people use the internet to make account transfers and buy all types of things from websites like EBay or Amazon along with most big companies have website selling their products.
There are many types of fraud, but Internet fraud is by far the easiest and most efficient way. Again the anonymity of the Internet is a large factor along with the ability to reach masses of people with only a few clicks of a mouse. Fraud can be preformed in many various methods, people can have fake websites selling you items, but once you make your purchase all your information could have been stolen. People can also be tricked and not even know they have been had by fraud, there have been cases where access to peoples accounts have been gained and the clever criminals just siphon small increments of money out at a time so that the victims are unbeknownst as to what is happening, this act of fraud could be compared to slow and steady wins the race, rather than taking one large sum that’s very noticeable they slowly grow their fortune.
Cyber bullying, identity theft, and fraud are all cons of the Internet. Based on what has been written the Internet may be conceived as the worst thing to have hit the world ever, but along with all the bad the Internet has, it contains a lot of good and useful ways to do almost anything. Information on nearly anything is at your fingertips, connecting with people just about anywhere is easy, banking can be done whenever wherever, the aforementioned things and many others are the pros of the Internet. In closing the Internet can do great harm or be very helpful, so depending on how it is used it can be the greatest tool you have or the most dangerous.
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